Taking an in-depth look at a particular genre.
Tales of evil spirits and witches existed long before the invention of the written word, let alone the invention of cinema. Horror is a well-tread genre, with strong antecedents in …
No film technique elicits the fear of the unknown more effectively than writing suspense. As humans, we’d rather know something bad is coming, than be in the unknown. This is …
Do you have an idea for a workplace comedy but are struggling to get it off the ground? Understanding the key aspects and structures of some of your favourite workplace …
Over the last few years, there has been a rise in the number of workplace dystopias in film and TV. But what are the essential elements of these stories? And …
Parodies can contain a multitude of differences across a multitude of genres. So how do you even approach writing a tricky and difficult-to-define subgenre? In short, you must try to …
Welcome to Original Characters, an ongoing series of Industrial Scripts’ articles examining the most original characters to appear in both TV and film. This article will focus on Patrick Bateman from American Psycho. What …
The romantic comedy goes all the way back to Shakespeare, with plays such as Much Ado About Nothing and A Midsummer Night’s Dream being full of love triangles and comic …
In many ways, the Viking movie is a sub-genre as old as the cinematic form itself. And Vikings have certainly been an integral part of folklore and storytelling for centuries. …
Washington Irving’s short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow has been cited as “the first great comedy horror story”, as readers were made to “laugh one moment and scream the …
Revenge stories are a popular sub-genre almost guaranteed to satisfy an audience. They’re typically a visceral and cathartic response to injustice and consequently something that elicits easy emotion. We love …
What is Magical Realism? The phrase magical realism is really an oxymoron. But though contradictory, it describes what the genre truly is; a merging of fantasy and realism. Magical realism …
While movie trends come and go, there are some genres screenwriters will return to time and time again. The zombie movie is one of those; a trope that isn’t likely …
Teen drama is one of the most enduring genres to have graced TV screens since its inception. We’ve all been teenagers at some point. And the heartbreak, emotions, journeys, discoveries, …
He’s emerged as one of the most striking directors of the 21st century. Quietly he’s helmed some of the biggest hits of the 2010s and 2020s, managing to infuse big …
When writing Christmas films there’s multiple sub-genres and elements to consider to make it the perfect holiday watch. It’s no secret that there are a range of elements to cover …
What is Historical Fiction? At face value, the definition of historical fiction is simple: a fictional story set against a real time period in the past. It is when we …
What is a Gangster Movie? The gangster movie is one that focuses on narratives of organized crime and gangs. A crime sub-genre (and often part of the film noir sub-genre, …
There are many TED talks out there for writers, screenwriters and storytellers. In this article, we’ll focus on 10 of the most relevant and best talks for screenwriters and writers …
The monster genre is one of cinema’s classic creations. And the monster itself is a creation that can haunt the imagination of audiences long after the credits. But what does …
There is a timeless formula to writing a murder mystery that shows no sign of waning in popularity. This isn’t to say that writing a murder mystery script, let alone …
The slasher movie sub-genre could be considered one of the most controversial sub-genres in cinema. With its stark violence, it’s often the subject of discussions around the effect of slasher …
What is a Police Procedural? A police procedural is a sub-genre of the police drama. It’s also often referred to as an inverted detective story or a ‘howcatchem‘. Police procedural …
The action and adventure movie genre is one that often sits at the top of the box office. It’s a genre that can have a wide reach across many different …
What is a Spy Movie? It should not surprise people to find Greek storytelling structures and character types in spy movies. The genre of spy and espionage has a long …
The comedy genre has boundless opportunities. It has an evergreen appeal to audiences, especially in dark times. We all need the tonic of humor and a light-hearted premise at some …
Genre mashups, also known as genre hybrids, are a tricky business to get right. The balance between the genres will need to be spot on for it to be successful. …
At some point, we have all delved into the fantasy genre, whether that is through books, TV shows or movies. It’s a genre with a wealth of scope, opportunities and …
Writing Time Loops Time loop movies have been popular since their classic, most famous origin, Groundhog Day. This style has risen in popularity particularly within the last decade due to …
With true stories increasingly leant on in both movies and TV in recent years, movie memoirs have practically become a genre all on their own. These movies will typically be …
What Are AI Movies? Narratives focusing on artificial intelligence have been used repeatedly in books, films and TV throughout the 20th Century. Most conventionally, AI movies present artificial intelligence as …
Writing Dystopia Writing dystopia has become something screenwriters are increasingly drawn to in recent years. The dystopian movie is in itself a classic genre. However, this genre seems to have …
What is a Documentary Script? Documentary filmmaking is a non-fiction form of storytelling that depicts reality. The purpose behind the film could be to educate, inform or simply to document. …
What is a Reboot? In the realm of movie-making, a reboot is a reimagining of an existing franchise that rebrands or restarts the established fictional world. The most notable franchises …
While shows such as The Crown and House of Cards have been recent hits, political thrillers and political dramas have been around since the dawn of storytelling. After all, Shakespeare …
Genre mashups, also known as cross-genres or hybrid genres, are commonly found in many art forms – film, music or literature. It’s when an artist combines two or more genres …
The Multi-Camera Sitcom Since coming to the fore in the 1960s, the multi-camera situational comedy, or sitcom, has proven itself a genre that has been able to continually reinvent itself, …
Social satire is a genre of film that relies on irony, exaggeration, ridicule, or humor to critique an unfavorable aspect of society and/or human nature. The best social satires are …
Heartbreak is the key feature of a tragic romance. The central love story ends in heartbreak and, as a result, audiences walk away from the film feeling heartbroken. Most people …
A mockumentary is a satirical film or television show that combines documentary-style filmmaking with fictional subject matter. But although mockumentaries feature fictional events, they differ greatly from traditional narratives. And this …
Have you always had an affinity for animation? Do you have a story idea that you think would be perfect for an animated film? Are you simply finding that your …
The Western was one of the earliest cinematic genres and it has had a number of resurgences and reinventions over the last one hundred years. It’s a genre that through …
How to Write a True Crime Movie: Working with a True Crime Story The phrase “Based on a true story” is one guaranteed to make any moviegoer perk up in …
The courtroom drama, also known as the legal drama, is a long-standing staple in entertainment. This noteworthy genre of film has generated such timeless classics as To Kill a Mockingbird and 12 …
This article will delve into the dynamic world of video games and video game logic. Many video games have been translated on-screen into video game movies, and the line between …
This article will delve into what film noir is and its common tropes. We’ll offer pointers on how to write a film noir that both honours the traditions of the …
How To Write a Love Triangle This article will offer some key pointers on that most time-trodden (and wildly successful) cinematic device – the love triangle – and hopefully assist those …
How to Write a Sitcom: The Crucial Rules of The Game It feels more important than ever to have a good laugh. And what better way to poke fun at …
The 67 Different Sub Genres Two decades and a century since the dawn of cinema, it is safe to say the medium has by now produced a colossal variety …
How to Write a Heist Movie (or TV series): The ULTIMATE 10 Steps A band of misfits. A slick elite group. “Getting away clean”. Whatever the stakes. A heist …
How to Write a Surrealist Film: The Core Principles of Surrealism Surrealist film tends to fall far from the aims of the original Surrealist movement. This article will demonstrate how …
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